(PresidentialInsider.com)- Russian state TV broadcast a clip from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon that is once again ginning up rumors about Putin’s declining health.
The clip from Monday’s meeting showed the Russian president’s restless, fidgeting feet, a physical tic that is unusual for Putin, so unusual, that even President Rahmon could be seen on the clip looking down at Putin’s feet.
The rumors about Putin’s poor health have been circulating over the last couple of years.
Putin underwent emergency surgery in February 2020. Since then, some have suspected the Russian leader was suffering from a debilitating disease like cancer or Parkinson’s.
But the speculation only increased after footage from a February 18 meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko showed the Russian president’s hands shaking uncontrollably.
The UK Sun reported in late April that an anonymous Kremlin insider had told the Russian media outlet, General SVR, that Putin was to undergo surgery for cancer, but the “insider” did not specifically describe the nature of the operation.
In photos from Putin’s April meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the 69-year-old president can be seen gripping the table and slouching down in his chair.
During the May 9 Victory Day military parade in Moscow, the rumors about Putin’s declining health kicked into gear again when he was seen walking with a limp and sitting with a blanket covering his lap.
Last week, the magazine New Lines obtained a leaked audio recording of an unknown Russian oligarch saying that President Putin is “very ill with blood cancer.” The unidentified voice is heard saying that before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin had back surgery related to his blood cancer and since then, has gone “crazy.”
Naturally, none of these rumors nor the anonymous recording have been confirmed by the Kremlin.
